Jo Walby is CEO of Mustard Tree, a charity that aims to create opportunities to help improve economic wellbeing and find settled homes for the homeless.
In a New Year message written for the M.E.N. she calls for an honest discussion about immigration and its challenges and opportunities – and calls for kindness and pragmatism in our approach to social and economic deprivation in 2025.
I felt lost in 2024 because the charity I work for focuses on fighting poverty and homelessness and we keep seeing record numbers each year.
We are not a social policy charity, we simply care about the economic wellbeing of every person who comes to us.
We are not a refugee charity, but in 2024 more people came to us who were seeking asylum or who are refugees than at any other time in our history.
And no one would talk about it. No one that is except those loud voices whose frustrations gave way to blame and anger.
In 2024 we have hired multilingual staff members. We have created additional English language classes. We have shared our data and we have asked for help. But apart from those dedicated charities and public servants whose job it is to work with migrants, no one wants to talk about it. There is no public discussion about migration without fear, anger and lecturing – and yet we can all see the changes in our region.
So, I want to share what I have seen in 2024.
Since Covid-19, the Government assessments to decide whether people who come into the country can stay or not significantly decreased. However, new people did not stop coming and so the numbers of people seeking asylum in the UK increased. Whilst seeking asylum, people cannot learn English or work by law – with very few exceptions.
“There is no public discussion about migration without fear, anger and lecturing”
Last winter, the Government restarted the assessments and decisions. We are now seeing the backlog of numbers of people who have been stuck here for years but only recently been assessed and approved to stay in the UK.
Once people are allowed to stay, they have 4 weeks (now 56 days in 2025) from a positive decision to learn English, get a job and a house. There is little education or information given about the realities of trying to find housing in Greater Manchester and so expectations are high that once people have their positive decision, they can start their lives.
Despite what some think, being a refugee does not give you priority for social housing. There is no advantage and no special treatment which is why people come into charities like ours.
Our charity is pragmatic, and we cope – but it is getting almost untenable to carry on without opening up about the challenges and opportunities we are seeing.
We want a more open and positive conversation around how we help people integrate into our communities. More support for English language training, more work placements and training for people who want it and more opportunities for everyone who needs help – regardless of where they come from.
People experiencing homelessness waking up in the city centre, on Christmas Day.
We are Greater Manchester – we come from everywhere.
From Central Europe, Jewish migrants came, Irish migrants came during the Industrial Revolution and after. South Asians and Caribbean people came after World War II.
We have always been a magnet for people from other places and their success is our success. It’s part of what makes our region a special place to live.
We are Greater Manchester – we created the suffragettes – votes for women.
We wrote to the US President in the 1800’s, calling for a slavery ban and would not work with cotton picked by slaves. We created trains. We created great football and great music. We work hard and we play hard with amazing food and the best nights out in the UK.
We are Greater Manchester – we are the people that revolutionised industry from cotton to graphene.
Perhaps in 2025 we can begin to revolutionise migration and harness the benefits of being a magnet for others to improve ALL our lives.
A look around the Mustard Tree centre which combats poverty and prevents homelessness.
We need more people to work, to pay taxes and to buy goods and services. We need carers, doctors, engineers, bricklayers, plumbers. When we have needed people after crises people came and helped us create the region we are today.
Surely the region, the country that makes a success of the international reality of migration – which affects every country in the Western world – will be the region and country that leads the world for the next hundred years?
What we need is not a technological revolution, not an AI revolution, but a people driven evolution that will benefit us all.
In 2025 let’s talk about immigration, the opportunities and the problems, let’s turn away from fear and mistrust and try to solve the problems in our society with love, humour and kindness.
That’s the way Manchester has always done it.
Sending love, hope and positivity to everyone in Greater Manchester for 2025.
Thank you if you support our charity – we could not do it without you.
To support The Mustard Tree charity click here.